27 April 2009

Try as I might, I just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and write these days. While I suppose I should be resting a bit more, I find myself having to run around more than ever before. Between doctor’s appointments, searching for affordable maternity clothes, browsing for baby items, planning the annual scientific conference for work and getting ready to be Matron of Honour in my best friend’s wedding, I’m a little bogged down these days.

Nothing too new to report on the pregnancy front. I’m starting to show, albeit slightly. To the average Joe, it probably looks like I’m just carrying an extra bit of girth around my midsection. Family and friends, however, have started to notice a little bump growing. This past weekend I backed up all my skinny clothes and brought them over to Mom and Dad’s to store until after the baby is born. I’m now the pathetic owner of a near-empty closet with little to no clothing for the summer. Thank goodness I’ve had some luck with consignment shops here in town and I have, at least, a few cute dresses and skirts to wear for work. The problem is that I actually have nothing to bum around in. I don’t even own shorts right now to go out and do the gardening. ..le sigh.

Health wise I’ve been feeling wonderful. I still find myself lacking my usual enthusiasm and exuberance for going out and doing things, but life does not afford me many opportunities to sit on my behind and that’s probably a good thing. I am still struggling with a disgustingly large appetite for all things sugary or greasy (with pickles of course) but have thankfully kept up an active lifestyle. Last week I started Prenatal Aqua Fitness and I adored it. I was pleasantly surprised by the workout and it felt wonderful to work against the resistance of the water. I’ll be taking one class per week for three months; I wish I could do it at least twice! It was quite amusing to see so many pregnant bellies bobbing up and down in the water rhythmically – almost like a Hippo Water Ballet.

Aside from the fun of gestating, this weekend was busily spent cooking, assembling rolled sandwiches at ungodly hours and hosting a bridal shower for my friend. With 20 confirmed party guests, the bride’s mother and I assembled enough food to feed an army (or a small nation to be exact). All in all, everything turned out lovely and all the hard work paid off. The bride seemed happy with her special day and so did the guests. After the shower, I felt like an absolute zombie and God Bless my darling hubby for taking the initiative to clean the entire house from top to bottom; have I ever mentioned that I love him with every fiber of my heart and soul? So the weekend was a bit of bust relaxation wise, but I guess everyone walked away happy in the end. Only three weeks to wedding time and I hoping my energy will keep up with me on the big day…and I’m praying that my beautiful MOH dress will still fit!

17 April 2009

Actually, I have been living in Reitman’s Comfort pants for well over a month now. They are a stretchy fabric, almost like a dressy yoga pant and I’m sincerely hoping that I can keep wearing them until my third trimester. Pants with zippers, however, are my mortal enemy. Last night I decided to try on some cute bottoms that I had purchased for the cruise back in February; I can barely get the damn things past my thighs now….why do I torture myself like this?

So now I face the challenge of trying to dress my growing and highly-disproportionate body. Even more challenging is the fact that I do not want to spend a fortune, yet refuse to look like a dowdy oversized schoolmarm. Truth be told, the maternity clothes out there today aren’t quite as horrid as my mothers generation, but they are very costly if you buy new. In an effort to save some $$$, I have been shopping around at consignment shops. Try as I might, I can’t bring myself to pay full price for something I will only be wearing for another six months and will probably want to burn after the baby is born. I’ll invest in a few good solid pieces or suits, but the rest will be gently-loved castoffs. It’s funny when I think back to adolescence – a time where I probably wouldn’t have been caught dead buying second-hand. Now my goal in life is to bargain hunt, never pay full price and secretly laugh at others who outgrow their $300 designer jeans in two months. I am also now faced with the infamous “mother’s guilt” – I.e. Anything that I spend on myself, could have gone towards something for my child.

Tonight’s plan – find a skirt that fits! With summer on the way and an increased blood flow (meaning more hot spells for Momma), I need to find something a little lighter to wear. I think hubby is also getting tired of seeing me dress like a man these days.

15 April 2009

Last night hubby unearthed our camera and finally managed to convince me to take a few photos of my growing speed bump. Looking at these photos makes me shudder and realize how much my body has already changed. I'm really packing on the weight already...yikes!

14 April 2009

I’m at that awkward stage where I don’t have a cute baby belly, instead I’m all bloat. I sometimes liken myself to a slow-growing manatee, lazily getting pudgier as the days go on. Sadly I don’t think I’ll be one of these “all belly” kind of women; I think “butterball” is in my immediate future. My derriere seems to be growing so that it will counterbalance my stomach as it grows - can’t have me tipping over now can we?

This weekend I ate epic amounts of chocolate, at all ungodly hours of the day and night. I finally broke down today, accepted my complete and utter weakness and forced hubby to bring all the Easter goodies to work with him, far away from my greedy little paws. Honestly, I’d make a sumo wrestler sick!

Thankfully I’ve managed to keep up a decent exercise regime despite the snacking. I’ve had to tone down the weights and cut out contact sports but I still do walking, elliptical and yoga on a daily basis. I am the proud over of 5 prenatal DVD workouts, all of varying degrees of cheesiness. I can’t wait to start Aquafitness next week and hopefully this will help ease some of the back pain I have been experiencing already.

I have been trying to teach myself to sleep on my left side at night, as this is the “supposed” best position to sleep in for the baby, however it has been a slow and painful process. I still keep rolling onto my back (which I’m not supposed to do when I get bigger) so I may try sleeping with a large C-shaped pillow (a.k.a. Snoogle) to get me in a comfy position…I’m sure hubby will be thrilled by the extra protective barrier between us in our already-crowded bed.

09 April 2009

What hubby and I hope will be another rambling redhead! It gives me great pleasure to finally introduce out little bean, due on October 21st, 2009. Waiting to write about this for the past three months has been agonizing!

It appears that we brought back quite the souvenir from New Orleans! I still can’t believe that everything happened so fast, I didn’t think I would be able to get pregnant for at least a few months. Guess I’m what people laughingly call a “fertile myrtle”

I have been very fortunate to have a symptomless pregnancy – no sickness, no aversions to food, no extreme exhaustion, etc. There have been times when my lack of symptoms have left me wondering whether I was indeed pregnant or not but, sure enough, the little bean is growing and we saw it kicking and dancing away at our 12-week ultrasound. I guess I take after my mother and am one of those rare and fortunate women that feel like a million bucks while pregnant. I’ve just got learn to relax, trust my body and leave the rest up to the powers that be. As I learned very quickly, a mother’s infamous ability to worry doesn’t just occur after birth, it happens from the first moment you stare down incredulously at a positive pregnancy test.

07 April 2009

Just when I thought I had kissed all final vestiges of winter behind, Mother Nature decided to throw a few more days of cold and crappy weather into the mix. We were teased with a few brief weeks of sunshine and heat; then, presto, out comes the parka once more. I’m done with this, I tell you…done!

My fingers are already itching to start resurrecting my garden but it looks as though this April will be as unpredictable as always. For now its gray skies, soggy days and flannel pajamas – not so bad for staying in bed and hiding from the world, but certainly not inspiring for any “get up and go” during the work week. It’s only Tuesday and already I feel as though I could nap for a year. Thank goodness this will be an extra-long weekend.